LINEHAM ON TOP OF HIS GAME IN LATE MODELS

Aug 10, 2017 |

As the Seekonk Speedway Late Model season heads for the final stretch, Ryan Lineham sits at the top of the championship standings. When the season first started, Lineham wasn’t even sure he was going to run the full campaign behind the wheel of the Nick Uring No. 1. However, when he scored the victory on opening day, things started to change. Eventually, he made the decision with his team that he would run for the title and right now, the decision is paying off.

Lineham holds a 24 point lead with just seven races remaining on the season. With two wins and nine top-10 finishes, Lineham has been consistent and finds his way to the front before the feature comes to a close. However, he has seven-time champion Gerry DeGaspere Jr. breathing down his neck. Gerry is looking for his eighth Late Model championship and has shown speed at times this year. The Pawtucket, Rhode Island driver finds himself just 24 points out with one victory on the 2017 campaign.

Behind them, defending champion Dylan Estrella, driver of the No. 46 Everett’s Auto Parts machine, sits just 32 points from the lead. Although Estrella hasn’t had exactly the season he was looking for, he still has been able to finish races and keep himself in contention going for the final stretch. Estrella has yet to visit Victory Lane, but has put up eight top 10 finishes. The Everett’s team will be looking to find a little bit more speed down the final few races of the season and Estrella is hoping he can crawl his way back into the chase.

On the strength of one feature win, Somerset, Mass. driver Austin Blais sits fourth in the standings, 50 points from the lead. Blais has put up three consecutive top five finishes behind the wheel of his No. 16 and seems to have found his stride at the right time. Although he is a full race out of the lead, if the top three stumble, look for him to gain ground quickly and have a shot at winning his first title.

Rounding out the top five is veteran Charlie Rose, who has three victories on the season. While Rose is 54 points out of the lead, he put himself in the top five in the standings because of his three checkered flags. When he doesn’t win, some bad luck has plagued him — but don’t let that fool you. Rose has been one of the fastest cars each week and don’t expect the final few races of the season to be any different.

Leading the rookie contingent, Ryan Kuhn and Jake Johnson are currently tied for sixth, while Vinny Arrenegado, Dan Johnson and Branden Dion round out the top 10 to this point. With just seven races to go, anything can happen. All of the remaining races will be 30 lap battles except this Saturday night, when the Late Models take center stage with the Crab Manchester 50.

Lineham won the Phil’s Propane Triple Crown Series championship last weekend.